Seeing that the Crown Prince remained silent, the Emperor said, “It’s not that I’m making things difficult for you. Yuanbao’s generation should have a name related to ‘Jade.’ Liu Yu and Liu Lin had names like that, and Yuanbao should have one as well. The Bureau of Astronomy has calculated that with these additional strokes, the name will suit Yuanbao’s destiny better.”

Of course, there was another reason the Emperor did not mention.

Yuanbao’s birth mother died a tragic death.

The Emperor felt it was inauspicious to keep the original character intact.

This was the reason he had initially opposed the name.

After a moment of silence, the Crown Prince said, “As you wish, Father.”

Hearing this, the Emperor finally nodded in satisfaction, picked up his chopsticks, ate another pineapple ball, and then sipped some fruit tea.

“I will also include his birth mother in the official records. You should assign her a position and inform the Ministry of Rites.”

The Crown Prince nodded, listened to a few more of the Emperor’s admonitions, and then left.

As he walked out of the Imperial Study, a light rain was falling outside.

The Crown Prince walked down the steps, with Fu Quan holding an umbrella behind him.

Halfway down, the Crown Prince suddenly reached out into the rain.

Spring rain is gentle and tender.

The fine, dense raindrops felt more like soft mist than rain, gently moistening his hand and giving a very pleasant feeling.

Just like Jing Rong.

He remembered a time when a palace maid had bumped into her.

She was so angry her face turned pale, yet she couldn’t utter a single harsh word.

When she looked at him, she lowered her head slightly, her eyes as lively as a fawn’s. At that moment, she must have hoped he would reprimand the maid, but he said nothing and walked past her with a cold expression.

Good rain knows the right time to fall; it comes when spring arrives.

Standing in the misty spring rain, the Crown Prince shivered.

---

Today, Rong Rong was very busy.

After receiving the manuscript of “The Legend of the Dragon Girl” from Wang An in the morning, she had a bite to eat and then sat in Yuanbao’s small study to read.

Lately, she had been focused entirely on Yuanbao, neglecting everything else.

Watching the Crown Prince play yesterday, she suddenly thought: besides cooking, could she do something else?

That’s when she thought of writing stories.

Yuanbao loved reading “Journey to the West.” Even if she couldn’t write something as good as “Journey to the West,” she hoped to write a few good stories in the future.

If she could someday be reunited with Yuanbao, she could not only cook his favorite dishes but also tell him stories from her own books.

She had tried to write stories before but found it difficult to put her ideas into words.

For now, she would review Yang Tong’s manuscript, help with revisions where she could, and learn from him.

During the day, Yang Tong worked as a real estate agent, burning the midnight oil to write numerous manuscripts. His perseverance alone was admirable.

Rong Rong had spent the entire morning in the study.

Wang An brought her lunch, and after eating, she planned to continue reading the manuscripts.

She lay down on the chaise longue to take a nap, but as soon as she lay down, she caught the scent of dragon musk, reminding her that the Crown Prince had slept here last night.

She turned over on the chaise longue, wondering how the Crown Prince had managed to sleep in such a cramped space.

Thinking about him dispelled her drowsiness, and she reluctantly got up and returned to the desk.

The story “The Legend of the Dragon Maiden” by Yang Tong wasn’t long.

It told the tale of a scholar named Xu Jili from Yangzhou who, while preparing for the provincial examination, got embroiled in a cheating scandal, losing his title.

Despairing, Xu Jili attempted to drown himself in Lake Tai, only to be saved by a dragon maiden who was playing on the lake’s surface.

The dragon maiden took Xu Jili to the Dragon Palace, where he witnessed various water spirits and the palace’s splendor.

The dragon maiden fell in love with Xu Jili, and they married in the Dragon Palace.

They lived happily for three years, but Xu Jili became increasingly melancholic, missing his parents, his betrothed Silo, and the injustice of the cheating scandal.

The dragon maiden, understanding his sorrow, used her magic to gather evidence against those who framed Xu Jili, helping him to clear his name.

The court restored Xu Jili’s title, and he returned home with the dragon maiden, marrying Silo as a concubine.

The dragon maiden and Silo lived like sisters, caring for Xu Jili’s parents and earning a good reputation.

Rong Rong found this story more captivating than any of Yang Tong’s previous manuscripts.

The characters were vivid and passionate.

Xu Jili, full of zeal, was betrayed by a long-time friend.

After losing his title, he faced ridicule from his teacher and peers, reflecting real human experiences.

The various spirits and wonders of the Dragon Palace were vividly described.

The dragon maiden’s beauty, kindness, and sincerity deeply moved Rong Rong.

However, Rong Rong disliked the story’s ending.

Silo, who had believed in and waited for Xu Jili, was certainly a good girl, but Rong Rong felt Xu Jili had wronged the dragon maiden.

The dragon maiden had abandoned her divine status and the Dragon Palace for Xu Jili, bore his children, and helped clear his name, only to end up as a concubine.

It seemed unworthy, utterly unworthy… Rong Rong suddenly had the urge to rewrite the ending.

With renewed passion, Rong Rong immediately started writing.

She was so engrossed that she didn’t even notice when the eunuchs brought in a new bed, hammering and setting it up.

She only paused when she heard the announcement, “His Highness and the imperial grandson have returned to the palace.”

Today, the Crown Prince and Yuan Bao returned late, having already dined in the palace.

“Aunt, today I ate something delicious at Grandfather’s place. I saved you a bowl; come and try it.”

In the morning, Yuan Bao had enjoyed the pineapple balls, and in the evening, the Emperor had ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare pineapple rice.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Rong Rong took the large food box from Fu Quan, feeling its weight, and curiously asked, “What is this?”

“Aunt Rong Rong, pineapple rice is delicious.”

“We’ll eat together,” Rong Rong said warmly to Yuanbao, but the Crown Prince passed by them indifferently and went straight into the study.

Rong Rong was slightly surprised.

This morning, the man had seemed determined, but now he wouldn’t even give her a glance.

His deliberate avoidance left Rong Rong puzzled, wondering what she might have done to upset him.

Yuanbao noticed and whispered, “Father is not very happy today. He must have been scolded by Grandfather.”

So, he must have been reprimanded by the Emperor after taking Yuanbao to see him in the morning.

Rong Rong decided not to dwell on it, taking Yuanbao by the hand and leading him to a table for their meal.

Opening the food box, she saw a half-hard shell fruit filled with fried rice, which smelled of fresh, sweet and sour pineapple.

“Auntie, you must try this. It’s pineapple rice, and only Grandfather gets to eat it.”

“What is pineapple? And what is this hard fruit?”

“This fruit is pineapple, a type of fruit imported from the South Seas. I also had crispy pineapple balls at Grandfather’s this morning; they were delicious. Auntie, you must try!”

Rong Rong was touched that Yuanbao remembered to bring her some of the delicious food he had enjoyed.

The child didn’t even know she was his mother, yet he was so kind to her.

The heavens had indeed been kind to her.

The servants brought two small bowls.

Rong Rong first served half a bowl to Yuanbao and then took a bowl for herself.

Yuanbao had already eaten at the palace and couldn’t have too much more, or he’d get indigestion.

Rong Rong ate slowly and had just taken a few bites when she saw Yuanbao quickly finish his bowl.

“No more eating today.”

Yuanbao pouted but nodded with a smile.

As Rong Rong ate, she suddenly felt something was off.

The Crown Prince had gone straight into the study… the study…

When they returned earlier, Rong Rong had been working on her manuscript there.

That’s right, the manuscript—she hadn’t had a chance to tidy it up yet!

“Yuanbao, I need to find something,” Rong Rong said, standing up and heading out.

When she burst into the study, the Crown Prince was seated at his desk, flipping through a book.

He looked up when she entered, and Rong Rong immediately lowered her head.

The Crown Prince seemed quite normal, not as determined as he had been in the morning, nor as indifferent as he had been upon returning.

As if… nothing had happened at all.

Rong Rong found it strange.

She wondered what had transpired today to make him change so drastically.

“Your Highness,” Rong Rong said as she barged in without knocking, naturally ready to apologize.

She had assumed that with the manuscript left there, he might have looked through it, but apparently, he wasn’t interested at all!

Of course, if he had wanted to read The Dragon Girl’s Tale, he would have done so in the past ten days.

Seeing it now wouldn’t make much difference to him.

“What is it?”

“Just now, Prince Yuanbao mentioned wanting another bowl of pineapple rice. I wasn’t aware of how much he had eaten in the palace, so I came to ask Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince’s gaze darkened slightly. “He has already had two bowls at dinner. He shouldn’t have any more.”

“Understood.”

“You are a guest in the East Palace. In the future, you needn’t refer to yourself as a maid.”

Rong Rong was slightly taken aback.

Recently, everyone in the East Palace had been particularly polite to her, which she assumed was his doing.

“I understand…”

“In Yuhua Palace, you can just refer to yourself as ‘I.’”

‘I’?

The expression on the Crown Prince’s face seemed to carry a hint more of something than usual.

Rong Rong studied him again, but his face soon returned to its usual calm, making her wonder if it was just her imagination.

“Understood.” Rong Rong gave him another bow and was about to turn when the Crown Prince suddenly called her back.

“Rong Rong, wait.”

What was wrong with him today?

Rong Rong felt a strange sense of unease.

Turning back, she gave him another bow. “Is there anything else, Your Highness?”

“Today, when we entered the palace, Father and I discussed Yuanbao’s inclusion in the imperial register…”

Yuanbao would finally be added to the royal register? Rong Rong’s heart soared, but then she heard a surprising question.

“…What position do you think I should assign to his mother?”